


As They Do In Rome

by giselleslash



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-20
Updated: 2011-09-20
Packaged: 2017-10-23 21:41:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/255301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giselleslash/pseuds/giselleslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur's a sheltered prince who just wants to experience a normal day, Merlin is a reporter after an undercover story so, naturally, they fall in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As They Do In Rome

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2011 Reel_Merlin challenge on Livejournal.
> 
> Many, many thanks to Ebonystar for the wonderful beta and britpick.

Arthur shook hands with the old goat in front of him. He couldn't remember if he was an ambassador or a chancellor, whether he was from Denmark or Uzbekistan, all he knew was that his feet hurt and he was ready to fall into bed and call it a night.

"Pleased to meet you." He said instead, yawning in the old man's face as they shook hands.

Geoffrey was droning on and on in the background of his thoughts; announcing one long and cumbersome name after the other, names Arthur would never remember if he had a thousand years of trying.

 _'Lord and Lady Alaster Trombley Milton-Rhodes, Vice-Chancelier Savon Maximilien Betrand-Chevalier, Embajador Amancio Garcia...'_

Arthur sighed.

He felt Gaius poke him in the side. Arthur gave him a side-eyed glare but plastered a pleasant smile back on his face as he continued to nod, shake hands and pretended to be, _'Pleased to meet you.'_

After the seemingly endless introductions were over Arthur spent the rest of the night waltzing with every old bat in attendance along with their fawning granddaughters and very handsy, and horrifyingly forward, middle-aged wives of fat, half-bald lords. He was fairly certain that if he wanted to dip his toes into Cougar Pond there'd be about twenty-three in the ballroom alone that would be quite eager to pull him the rest of the way in, their well-manicured nails digging into him like daggers as they yanked him underwater.

Arthur shuddered.

He knew Gaius was watching him with a steady eye and making diligent note of all the proper young misses that could be added to the, 'List of Potential Wives for Arthur' that he kept to report back to Uther. Arthur found that when Gaius and his father got together to discuss his future wedded bliss they bore a disturbing resemblance to two old matchmaking duennas. Arthur made sure to keep clear of them when they had matrimony on their minds.

Plus he wasn't quite sure how to tell them that it would never be a young lady that would pierce his heart.

At least out loud. Arthur knew that Gaius knew for certain and that Uther did as well but chose to ignore all the giant, flashing signs and just carried on as usual. His father was excellent at putting on blinders to anything that displeased him or threw his world order askew.

He knew he had a duty to his position, he did. He wasn't blind to the fact that Albion needed an heir to the throne to follow in his own wake. He knew what was expected of him and that he'd do it for the good of his people but the knowing didn't make it any easier. He knew he was lucky to be who he was, to live in such privilege and wealth and power. There were probably millions of people that would be happy to take his place so he tried to be grateful, tried to do his duty, but he felt stifled every step of the way. He was slowly drowning in his privilege and he wanted out, or at least to break the surface for one last gasp of air before going down entirely.

He just wanted a day to himself; no schedule, no duties, no one to recognize him and simper around him. He wanted to be the anonymous guy everyone passed on the street without a second glance, just one of the masses. And if he wanted to be holding the hand of a kind and clever boy who was beautiful without trying, well, then, that was his business alone, wasn't it?

Expect he wasn't alone. Ever. Maybe for the seven or eight hours he slept at night but even then some guard was always sitting just outside his door or some poor servant on the night shift just sitting there waiting in case he ever needed anything.

All Arthur wanted was to be left alone. Just for one single, solitary day. That was all he asked.

He might as well have been asking for the moon.

"Sire, might I read tomorrow's schedule to you?" Gaius asked later that night as Arthur's valet helped him out of his tux and into his pyjamas, and yes, full on button down pyjamas. What was wrong with boxers and a t-shirt Arthur would never know.

"If you must."

"At eight o'clock sharp we have breakfast with the embassy staff and at precisely nine o'clock we leave for the International Fund for Agricultural Development where Donata Marcucci will give you a tour -"

"That I'll be very pleased by, no doubt." Arthur interrupted.

"Hm, yes, no doubt." Gaius cleared his throat and continued on. "At ten-fifteen we'll be escorted to the Lorenzo de' Medici School where you'll give an address on twenty-first century education and opportunity, the one you gave at -"

"Last week's function at École des Beaux-Arts, yes, I know."

Gaius harrumphed. "After which there will be a meet and greet with a handful of select students. At half past twelve we'll head to a luncheon with Mayor Alemanno and at two-fifteen exactly we're off to Vatican City where we will -"

"Oh god, please don't say go to confession. Please, Gaius, I beg of you."

"Very funny, your highness. I'm much amused."

Arthur frowned and crawled into bed. "Yes, you sound it."

"Yes, well, I'm laughing on the _inside_ , sire, I assure you." Gaius adjusted his glasses and continued on. "At Vatican City we will meet with -"

"I don't care who we meet with," Arthur said as he grabbed the schedule out of Gaius' hands and tore it in half. "There. That makes it much easier, don't you think?"

"Sire, I know you don't like having such a rigid schedule."

"Rigid. Yes, that's one way of putting it. I rather like the word oppressive. Or suffocating. Or mind-numbing. Yes, I like all of those."

"Sire."

"No, Gaius, I get it. I do. I need to go nod and smile and make nice all across Rome to keep up good relations and represent Albion properly but will I ever get a day off? Can't we just say I'm ill and then go out and get gelato, or a Pizza Margherita that I can eat with my fingers and wipe sauce off my face with the back of my hand? After that we can go the Colosseum and the Pantheon. I want to see a real Caravaggio, bloody beheadings and all. Gaius, come on, just this once."

"You're getting worked up, your highness."

"Getting worked up?" Arthur asked. "Because I want to be normal for one damn day? Why is that such an impossible thing to ask for, Gaius?"

"Sire, I know how you feel. I do."

"Then why won't you let me have this?"

"You're acting like a child, Arthur. Come now, off to bed."

Arthur knew he was in it deep when Gaius called him Arthur. He'd been Arthur's constant companion from the time he was old enough to have schedules and give speeches and smile and shake hands for the camera, but he was circumspect and knew his place. If Gaius was irritated with him enough to slip and call him by his given name then Arthur knew he should probably stop.

"What am I? Six?" But Arthur wasn't planning on being obedient or sensible tonight.

"Based on the way you're acting right now, yes."

"Gaius," Arthur sighed. "I just want to be someone else, someone normal."

"No one is normal, Arthur."

"You know what I mean."

"I do, Sire, and you're a good boy. I only wish I could give you what you wanted." Gaius sat down on the edge of Arthur's bed and handed him a glass of milk. Arthur gave him a small smile.

"You don't want me to act like a six year old, yet you treat me like one."

"I just want you to sleep well, Arthur," Gaius said as he put his hand on Arthur's shoulder and gave him a gentle pat.

Arthur took a drink of the milk and frowned. It tasted strange. He pulled the glass away and looked down into it, nothing looked amiss but he leaned his nose in to smell it as well. Not a whiff of anything, but he knew Gaius' tricks.

"Gaius," he pulled out the name like a petulant child. "You didn't put a sleeping draught in here, did you?"

Gaius got up and made to tuck Arthur into bed. "Only to help you sleep easier. You need to get your rest."

"You know I hate it when you do that."

"I know."

"I think drugging the crown prince is punishable by death in most places."

"Of course it is, your highness."

"You're decidedly blase about your impending death, Gaius."

"I'm an old man, Sire. I've lived a full and rich life."

Arthur chuckled. "Dammit. I wish you wouldn't be so amiable all the time, it would make being in a strop so much easier."

"I'll try to cower in fear next time," Gaius said, a hint of grin on his face.

"See that you do."

Gaius nodded. "Goodnight, Sire."

"Goodnight, Gaius."

Arthur closed his eyes until he heard the click of his bedroom door closing. He waited a few minutes to make sure Gaius was well and truly gone before he got up and started to change out of his pyjamas. Bloody Gaius and his bloody sleeping potions. Arthur wasn't going to just go to sleep like a good lad, wasn't going to let Gaius and his father tread all over him. He looked at himself in the mirror as he zipped up his jeans; he still looked like a posh git in his white button down and waistcoat and his expensive, barely worn jeans. He wished he just had a pair of trainers and an old t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms to slip into but Arthur owned nothing of the sort. He was always impeccably dressed, his valet, Maxim, saw to that. If Arthur ever showed up in something as low brow as tracksuit bottoms Maxim would most likely suffer a stroke, or at the very least pass out.

Arthur jumped up and down a few times hoping to get his blood pumping so he'd stay awake. He made his way out to the door and opened it slightly, just enough to pop his head out.

"Percy," Arthur whispered. He smiled when Percy dropped his book and jumped to his feet at the sound of Arthur's voice.

"Yes, Sire?"

"Could you do me a bit of a favor? I'm feeling a little peckish and was hoping you could pop down to the kitchen and see if you could get me something to eat."

Percy looked around him and up and down the hall. Arthur knew he was expecting Gaius to pop out at any moment to tell him not to go traipsing about after food.

"Please, Percy? If you're worried about leaving me alone just go drag Leon out of bed and make him sit guard until you get back."

"Of course, Sire. I'll go get Leon." He turned to go but only took a few steps before turning back to Arthur. "Anything in particular you'd like me to bring up, Sire?"

"Oh no, anything will do. Surprise me." Arthur really hated duping Percy and getting him into trouble but he'd had enough and it was now or never.

Percy nodded at him and headed off in the direction of Leon's room. Thankfully the guards' rooms were around the corner from Arthur's and all he had to do was wait until Percy turned to his right at the end of the hall and disappeared. Arthur slipped off in the other direction, looking over his shoulder every step of the way until he came to the lifts. He bounced on his toes waiting for the lift doors to open and quickly slid inside once they finally did.

It was surprisingly easy to make his escape. Once the lift doors opened up to the lobby all he had to do was keep his head down and walk at a steady pace right out the front door. If he hadn't been so thankful to be free of them he would have had words with Gaius about the lax security at the hotel.

All thoughts of guards and Gaius and security left him completely once he made it out of the hotel doors and looked up at the brightly lit street in front of him. People were milling about everywhere; couples holding hands, groups of teenage kids laughing and tourists with cameras still hanging around their necks and look of pure exhaustion on their faces.

They were all brilliant. Every last one of them.

Arthur smiled and disappeared into the crowd.

 

~~**~~

 

"Four of a kind," Gwaine said as he laid his cards out on the table in front of them.

"God. You wanker." Merlin frowned and threw his cards down. "I quit."

"It's only eleven, the night is young," Lance said as he added his cards to the pile on the table and they both watched Gwaine collect his winnings. Merlin thought he was looking at his euros in a very troubling sort of manner.

"You know, you look at beautiful women the same way you're looking at that money right now."

"And just like beautiful women, I want to roll around naked with it," Gwaine said as he started counting his winnings.

"You're disgusting." Gwen made a face at him but Gwaine winked at her and she laughed anyway.

"Well, I'm off," Merlin said as he pushed back his chair and got to his feet.

"No way, you can't leave now. Not when I'm winning."

"Oh, of course not. Why would I ever want to deprive you of stealing all my money off of me?"

"It's not stealing just because you're a shitty poker player." Gwaine reasoned.

"Because you cheat." Lance laughed.

"But I've yet to be caught so it clearly doesn't count."

Merlin rolled his eyes but gave Gwaine's shoulder a squeeze anyway. "I'm down to my last fifty euros and they have to last another three days. You'll have to rob me blind next week, mate."

Gwaine smiled up at Merlin. "I look forward to it."

Merlin laughed. "You would."

Gwen looked up at Merlin and asked, "Are you covering the Prince Arthur press conference the day after tomorrow?"

Merlin nodded. "Have to go in early tomorrow and meet with my editor, bloody eejit that he is wants me to get some sort of scandal on the prince. Boost our readership and all that. Not like our rag isn't a sinking ship already. I'm just holding on to save up all the money I can before we go under."

"Rather thankless job, that," Lance said. "I've never heard anything even remotely related to a scandal about the prince. He seems quite boring actually."

"Oh, but he's bleeding gorgeous, isn't he?" Gwen said, a dreamy look on her face as Lance frowned.

"He's fucking repressed is what he is," Gwaine said as he kept fondling his money. "Not that I wouldn't have a go at that. Repressed blokes are all kinds of fun. Plus it don't hurt he's bleeding gorgeous," he said in a fair imitation of Gwen who kicked him in the shin under the table.

"Yes, fine, he's gorgeous and I wouldn't say no to a royal spanking from his Highness, but that doesn't help me none in getting a story fit for my editor's manky hands."

"Poor Merlin," said Gwaine. "Always so oppressed. The Man bringing him down at every turn."

"He just needs a good bumming, it'll make a world of difference," Gwen said. Merlin looked at her in shock as Gwaine and Lance laughed loudly. Arseholes. "What?" Gwen asked innocently. "You just told me the other day -"

"Yeah, _in private_ , you daft cow."

Gwen shrugged, completely unapologetic. "My mistake."

Gwaine stopped laughing long enough to ask, "Remind me again why we haven't slept together?"

"Because you're a manwhore with questionable ethics."

"I like to think of it as being dashing."

"You would."

"As thrilling as this conversation is becoming, I'm off," Merlin said as he waved and headed toward the door. Gwen and Lance hollered a, _'goodnight'_ after him while Gwaine shouted something about repressed princes needing proper bummings.

Merlin decided to walk as his flat was nearby and he actually was down to his last fifty euros. He had savings but he didn't want to dip into it if he didn't need to, and really, he'd be fine. His rent was paid up for two more weeks and he had a bit of food stashed away, how fresh or edible the food was was totally up for grabs since he couldn't remember the last time he'd attempted to cook in his sorry excuse for a kitchenette. He usually picked up something cheap on the way home from work in the evenings rather than face having to set his single, battered pot on the hob to heat up a tin of something rather inedible.

He was walking along and trying to figure out how he'd ever make do without his morning espresso and flaky, buttery, sinfully delicious pastry at the cafe on the corner near his flat when he passed by a bench just as the occupant on said bench made to roll off of it.

"Whoa, there," Merlin said as he made a grab for the body and heaved it back up onto the bench. The clumsy lump only made a mumbling sound and rolled to the side, effectively turning his back on Merlin. "Huh," Merlin huffed. "Well excuse me, your Highness, didn't mean to disturb your peaceful slumber by saving you from a cracked head."

At the mention of the words, 'your Highness', the lump on the bench sat up and started looking around in confusion. "Yes. What? Did you address me?"

Merlin laughed at the posh sounding reply. "Oh yes, your Highness, I did indeed address you. I bowed as well."

That seemed to wake the man up a bit more. "What? Where's Gaius?"

"I don't know who Gaius is or where he might be."

"I ran away you know." Merlin noticed that the man was slurring a bit and seemed more out of it than being merely sleepy could account for.

"You did, huh? It looks like you're about twenty years late on that, mate."

"Yes, well, someone's always _watching_ me." The man scowled. "I'm never left alone and all I want to do is eat gelato."

"Yes, makes sense," Merlin said as he sat down on the bench next to the man. "Gelato is very tasty. I'm partial to strawberry."

"See!" The man clapped his hands and smiled brightly. "Everyone loves gelato. Gaius doesn't want me to have gelato."

"Gaius sounds like a bit of a stick."

The man nodded sagely and Merlin took it for agreement.

"Look, mate," Merlin said as he reached out and kept the man from tipping too far to the side as his eyes started to shut again. "Do you have some way to get home? Someone to pick you up? You're in a bit of a state it seems."

The man's eyes shot open. "No! I don't want to go back! Don't call Gaius, he'll make Percy come get me." The man reached out and grabbed Merlin's shirt. "Don't. Call. Gaius."

Merlin had no idea who this Gaius person was but even if he did have his number he most likely wouldn't have called him. Not allowing gelato? What kind of devil was he?

"I won't call Gaius," Merlin assured him. "But we've got to get you off this bench, someone less savory than me is going to come by and molest you."

That made the man snort. "I wish someone would molest me," he mumbled. "Better than those ruddy old trollops leering at me with their spray tanned faces." There was something else about cougars and drowning in ponds that Merlin didn't quite get. It seemed he was going to have to be responsible for the gelato-loving bench warmer.

"Right," Merlin said as he stood up. "Well, up you go then." The man looked up at him but didn't move so Merlin leaned over and grabbed him by the arm to help pull him to his feet.

"Are we going for gelato?"

"No, we are not going for gelato, I'm taking you home."

"Are you going to take me back and molest me there?" the man asked as he wobbled a bit on his feet and slumped against Merlin's side.

"Hardly," Merlin said. "Not in the state you're in."

"I'm in a lovely state," the man grinned. They were just walking under a street light at the moment and Merlin let out a gasp.

"Bleeding hell."

"What?" The man stopped walking and looked around.

Well, Merlin could stop that right there; thinking the man anonymous, now that he had gotten a good look at him it was perfectly clear he'd been having a barely coherent conversation with the goddamn Prince of Albion.

"You're Prince Arthur."

"Well, of course I am," Arthur said as he stood up straighter and gave Merlin a pompous glare, the fact that he stumbled slightly to the side after the proclamation didn't detract from his imperiousness.

"And you're bloody well pissed too."

"I'm not pissed. Drunk. Intoxicated," Arthur slurred. "I haven't had a drop of drink, just a glass of champagne at dinner this evening."

"So you just naturally slur and stumble about and fall asleep on benches."

"No," Arthur slurred again. "But I'm not intoxicated. Gaius gave me a wee bit of a sleeping draught."

"Oh Christ," Merlin muttered as he yanked on Arthur's arm and tried to get him to start walking again.

"To help me, to help me," Arthur repeated. "Well, you know."

"Uh, sleep?" Merlin ventured.

"Yes, exactly that." Arthur smiled at him again. "You're not nearly as dim as you look."

"Thanks ever so," Merlin said as he dragged Arthur along next to him. "You're a real mate, your Highness."

 

~~**~~

 

Merlin dropped the prince on his bed - hm, one didn't do that everyday - and went back to shut the door behind them. No sense in letting his nosy neighbor, Gianna, have the chance to wander on by and see a prince passed out on his bed. He hoped the old bag was asleep by then but he never knew with Gianna, she'd jumped out and scared the shit out of Merlin on more than one occasion.

Merlin stood and looked down at Arthur, who was lying there slumped to his side with his mouth open, and was no doubt gearing up to drool all over Merlin's pillow.

"Uh. Hm. Well, let's see here," he said as he bent over and grabbed onto Arthur's ankles to lift his legs onto the bed. "A little help here would be splendid, your Highness."

Arthur just mumbled and turned away from him like he'd done on the bench. Merlin sighed and started pulling off Arthur's shoes, prince or no, he wasn't going to get dirt all over Merlin's clean sheets. Well, cleanish. He'd washed them only a week ago, surely that still qualified as clean?

"Gaius, let me sleep," Arthur muttered into the pillow.

"I'm not Gaius and I _am_ letting you sleep. In my bed, actually, quite nice of me, wouldn't you say?"

"Hm. Yes. Pleased to meet you," Arthur answered. Huh. Well, that was something at least.

Merlin looked around at the sorry state of his one room flat and zeroed in on his poor, saggy, horridly uncomfortable couch. Just the sight of it made his back twinge. He looked back over at his lovely, large bed and thought, fuck it, just because the mumbling wanker was a prince didn't mean he could commandeer Merlin's bed.

Merlin kicked off his shoes and quickly changed into a pair of pjyama bottoms and a t-shirt and crawled into bed. Arthur was being a right inconvenient bastard but Merlin didn't think he needed to wake up to the sight of a totally starkers Merlin in the morning.

"Shove over," Merlin grunted as he elbowed Arthur in the side. Arthur just snorted in a very un-princely way and curled in on himself like a goddamn puppy.

Uh, it was just Merlin's luck the wanker had to be ridiculously adorable.

 

~~**~~

 

Merlin woke up to find Arthur's face shoved into his neck. He was making snuffling noises and Merlin could feel the little puffs of air on his neck just below his jaw. Arthur was warm and smelled fucking incredible and all Merlin wanted to do was close his eyes and fall back asleep.

"You're warm," Arthur mumbled.

"Hm. Yes. You too." How was Merlin supposed to respond to that?

He stretched out his legs and tried to move around enough to get Arthur to wake up completely but Arthur just pressed closer to his side. Apparently the crown prince was a bit of a cuddler. Who knew? Merlin turned to his side and tried to shimmy back and off the side of the bed. He nearly fell off the edge once he managed to extract himself from Arthur. Once his presence was gone from the bed Arthur rolled onto his stomach and starfished himself across the center of the bed. Merlin just shook his head and grabbed some clothes as he headed off to the bathroom to wash up and get dressed.

Once he'd washed up and brushed his teeth Merlin took a good long look at himself in the mirror. He had brought his mobile into the bathroom with him and he was contemplating calling up his editor and letting him know he could get quite the scoop and on the royal heir. The kind of scoop that would pay him a lot of money, enough so that he could quit his bloody awful job and spend time writing the novel he'd always dreamed of creating. That had been the end goal all along; suffer through working at a second-rate Italian gossip rag in order to save up enough money to be able to quit altogether and spend a few months simply writing.

And he was so close, so damn close to having enough to tell his editor to go fuck himself. There had been rumors floating around for several years about the possibility that Prince Arthur wasn't exactly keen on the lovely lasses being paraded in front of him for possible matrimony and that a lovely lad might suit him a bit better. But that's all they were, rumors. The royal shield around him was airtight, nothing ever leaked; no stories, no pictures, no videos, in fact, it was rather mysterious all around. It was like Prince Arthur had lived for twenty-five years and never once had a relationship of any kind at all. Merlin wasn't sure if he thought that pathetic or sad.

But here Arthur was, in his bed of all things, and it would be so easy to maybe flirt a little bit, pretend like he didn't know who he was, and get a story out of the whole deal. Merlin could play the game, it wasn't like it would be at all difficult to feign interest in the Prince because there wouldn't be a bit of pretending at all. Arthur was gorgeous and exactly Merlin's type and if he didn't think he'd have gotten thrown in the stocks as a result Merlin would quite readily have walked out of his loo and suggested to the prince that they make proper use of his bed.

He could do that, of course, but it put a decidedly sour taste in his mouth. It seemed like such a wretched thing to do and he remembered the night before, how vulnerable Arthur had been all doped to the gills with whatever was in Gaius' magic sleeping potion and how he'd allowed himself to be put into Merlin's hands. There was an intense level of trust in that, even if Arthur hadn't completely known what he was doing at the time, but Merlin liked to believe there was something in his face and demeanor that had someone spoken to Arthur and told him it was okay to go with him.

Merlin rubbed his hands over his face and then picked up his mobile.

Fuck it all to hell, this was his dream at stake.

 

~~**~~

 

Arthur gradually started to wake up. He found himself surrounded by warmth and a really lovely, comforting smell; rather citrusy with a bit of clean, sleepy sweat underneath. Arthur pushed his face into the pillow and moved his hand over the soft sheets. They felt worn, threadbare, and it was then Arthur knew he wasn't in his suite at the Aldrovandi Villa Borghese.

Arthur sat up.

Oh good god, where was he?

He looked down and saw that he was still fully clothed, except for his shoes, but he was currently not in his bed. Or anywhere near where he'd imagine his bed was located. Arthur looked around and noticed he was in a single room flat; small and worn but relatively tidy, perhaps more from hardly being used than having a neat owner. There wasn't a personal item anywhere, it could very much be mistaken for one of the many hotel rooms Arthur spent the majority of his life in. It was simple and uncluttered and could belong to just about anyone.

The door to what Arthur assumed was the loo opened and a tall, rather weedy looking man stepped out. He was all limbs and dark messy hair.

"Oh. You're finally awake." His voice was warm and friendly, though slightly teasing, and Arthur decided he liked it.

"I suppose I am, yes."

"Sorry you had to sleep in your clothes, mate, but I wasn't about to strip you down in the state you were in last night."

"Strip me?" Arthur looked up at him. "Excuse me?"

"You were pretty out of it last night, didn't want to take advantage even though by the looks of you it might have been extremely enjoyable on my end."

Arthur could feel himself flushing pink and the man laughed at his obvious discomfort.

"Sorry, I probably shouldn't be scaring you like that when you're barely awake in a strange bed. Although who am I to judge? You might be used to that kind of thing, you look like the sort that gets a lot of bed invites."

Arthur sputtered a bit, he wasn't used to being talked to like that. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, I don't, and that's part of our problem here."

Arthur frowned. The man didn't know him? Who was he that he hadn't seen Arthur's face plastered across every newspaper and television news program in the city? He must live under a bloody rock. Arthur was tempted to give him a proper dressing down but then he looked up at the man, at his huge blue eyes and open face, and something settled deep down in his stomach. Something strange and sort of wonderful; here was someone who had no idea who he was, a man with a charming smile who wanted absolutely nothing from him. Arthur turned his frown into a smile that made the man in front of him blink suddenly and swallow. A blush of pink bloomed across his cheeks which made Arthur smile all the more brightly. There, they were even on that score at least.

"What's your name then?" the man blurted out and Arthur was caught momentarily off guard.

"Arth.." Arthur began and then cursed himself, surely the man would recognize him if he blurted out, 'Arthur.'

"Arth? Your name is Arth?"

"Hm. No. It's Andrew, actually. Andrew Smith," Arthur said quickly.

"Andrew Smith, huh?" Was it just Arthur, or did the man sound suspicious? "Well, Andrew Smith, I'm Merlin. Merlin Emerson."

"Hello."

Merlin laughed. "So formal. Hello. We've slept together, the least you could do is muster up a far more laid back, _'hey'_ , even a, _'hi'_ , would do."

"We haven't slept together," Arthur nearly shouted.

"Oh, but we have."

"Not like that."

"In the carnal way, no, but in the literal sense, yes."

"Oh, honestly," Arthur huffed as he got out of bed. "Where did you put my shoes?"

Merlin pointed to Arthur's shoes, which were flung rather haphazardly on the floor at the foot of the bed. "Right there, all nice and neat."

"Yes, I can see that. Clearly you're an organizational genius."

"I've always thought so."

Arthur just rolled his eyes and bent down to grab them. Merlin leaned against the wall and watched him put them on, a rather focused look on his face, one that made Arthur keep his head down as he pulled on his shoes.

"Do you mind?" Arthur asked, once he stood up, as he pointed to the bathroom. "I need to straighten myself out a bit, I should think."

"Yeah, sure, no problem. Help yourself. I'm just going to pop out for a few, but I'll be back."

Arthur nodded and watched Merlin grab his keys and wallet from the small table beside the door and head out.

He wasn't at all prepared for a morning like this.

 

~~**~~

 

Merlin slipped out the door and headed to the cafe down at the corner. He could hide his call to his editor behind a breakfast run, and he was damn thankful for an excuse to pick up his morning espresso and pastry.

He hesitated at the bottom of the steps that led down from his flat. There was no one around and he could make the call right where he was standing but he hesitated. He imagined Arthur popping out of nowhere, just like that nosy cow Gianna, to catch him in the act. Yeah, that's what he told himself; it was fear of getting caught that kept him from making the call and absolutely not the fact that when Arthur had smiled up at him he'd been momentarily dizzy.

That? Well, that was just coincidence. He was probably already dizzy from lack of coffee and pastry and his empty stomach just happened to make itself known the second Arthur flashed that bright, happy smile at him. The smile that Merlin knew was pure, unadulterated relief that he hadn't been recognized. The smile that made him look carefree and like the weight of the world had suddenly lifted from his shoulders.

Bloody hell. Merlin wasn't going to feel guilty about this. He wasn't. He was going to call his wanker of a editor and tell him he could guarantee him a story on the Prince's true inclinations. He'd get his paycheck and that would be that. He would finally be able to quit the drudgery altogether and do what he'd been wanting to do all his life.

He was going to get what he wanted and Arthur's brilliant smile could just go fuck itself.

 

~~**~~

 

When Merlin popped back into his flat, two cups of espresso and a bag filled with pastries in tow, he didn't expect to find Arthur standing awkwardly in the middle of his kitchenette all shipshape and put together. How could he look so bloody good after having slept in his clothes? All Merlin needed to do was look in the general direction of his clothes and they wrinkled. He was permanently rumpled, from head to toe, no matter how hard he tried to stay neat and pressed.

Arthur was wearing a white button down and a fitted dark navy waistcoat that did marvelous things to his broad chest. He'd also rolled up his sleeves to his elbows which did equally marvelous things to his tanned forearms. Merlin wasn't even going to get into the open buttons that exposed a length of throat Merlin had the sudden urge to come all over, or the slim fitting pair of dark jeans that held a pair of thighs Merlin was fairly certain would fit splendidly around his hips.

Bloody hell.

Well, at least flirting with Arthur was going to be just about the easiest thing Merlin had ever done.

"You scrub up nicely," Merlin commented as he set the coffee and food down on his small table.

Arthur gave him a shy half smile, really, how did a prince manage to look shy for the love of god? He said, "Thank you," as he took a seat at the table.

"Hope espresso and pastries are enough of a breakfast for you. As you can probably suss out, I'm not what one would call proficient in the fine art of cooking," Merlin said as he waved he arm around his small, near empty kitchenette.

"It sounds perfect, much better than the huge breakfasts I'm used to eating. I always have some sort of meeting or other and I'm expected to eat these enormous breakfasts and I'm never really hungry in the mornings but Gaius -" Arthur stopped talking and looked over at Merlin. "I suppose what I'm trying to say is that I don't like a big breakfast and this will be perfectly acceptable."

"Perfectly acceptable, high praise indeed," Merlin teased. Arthur ignored him for a sip of espresso. Merlin couldn't exactly blame him, it was heavenly. "So, is there somewhere I could drop you after this? Not that I have a motor vehicle of any sort but one can improvise."

"No," Arthur practically shouted out. "I mean, no thank you, I'll be fine on my own."

"Are you sure? Do you even have the slightest idea of where you are? You could be in Venice for all you know."

"I highly doubt I'm in Venice."

"But it's still a possibility; slim, yes, but still there."

Arthur just shook his head and smiled before taking a bite of his pastry.

"Are you sure? I could walk you somewhere, or, oh, I've got a bike, you could ride on the handlebars. It'd be fun."

Arthur laughed at that and Merlin grinned.

"I'm quite sure, but thank you all the same." Arthur answered.

"Suit yourself," Merlin said as he bit into his pastry as well and the two of them fell into a comfortable silence.

When they'd both finished and Merlin had done a quick sweep of the table Arthur stood up and thanked Merlin again.

"You're thanking me a lot, you know."

"Well, you did pull me in off the street and give me a bed to sleep in, I should think a thanks or two is expected."

"You never know," Merlin said. "I could just do that for sport, fishing local benches for good looking men, in which case it should be me thanking you for making my fishing expedition such a smashing success."

"You're an odd one, Merlin, aren't you?" Arthur asked, his head tipped to the side as he contemplated whether or not he thought Merlin charming or a bit cracked in the head.

"Odd. Interesting. Utterly charming. They're all so closely related."

Arthur smiled at him and kept standing where he was, a bit awkwardly, like he was hesitant to leave. "I should go," Arthur said as he pointed to the door.

"I suppose you should."

Arthur tugged at the bottom of his waistcoat and turned himself toward the door, Merlin followed.

"It's just down the steps and to the right," Merlin said as he held the door open for Arthur. "If an old woman in a flowered housecoat steps out of the door at the bottom of the stairs, run, run like hell."

Merlin wanted to laugh at Arthur's wide eyes. "Run? Why?"

"She'll come after you and want to feed you and you'll think it's all very sweet and lovely but before you know it she'll have your entire life story out of you and you'll be sobbing into your gnocchi."

"She sounds terrible."

"She is. She's absolutely horrid," Merlin agreed. "In fact, I should probably just go ahead and walk you down, you know, just to be on the safe side."

Arthur nodded. "Yes, I think you should."

Merlin smiled at Arthur as he slipped past him and out the door. He made a big to-do about pushing Arthur past Gianna's door and down the few steps that led out to the city through an old, battered archway that was charming despite the fact it was nearly crumbling to the ground. Merlin's flat might have been small and cheap but it was in a lovely building that had all of that old world charm one would hope for in Rome.

Arthur laughed once they'd made it through the archway and out onto the pavement. "It appears we've made it past the dragon."

"We were lucky," Merlin nodded solemnly, which only made Arthur laugh more. God, his laugh was lovely.

Arthur hesitated again in leaving. He looked down at his shoes and at the side of Merlin's head.

"Look, let me at least get you a taxi. They're hard to come by around here." Merlin offered.

Arthur looked as though he was going to accept but then his face changed and he said, "I'm afraid I haven't got any money for a taxi."

"No money? None at all?"

"No, none. I seem to have left without any, I didn't entirely think it all through."

"Apparently," Merlin agreed. "Okay, look, I've got a few euros I could give to you."

"You do? I'd be sure to pay you back, and then some," Arthur promised. "Just write down your address and I'll send you what I owe you."

Merlin pulled out his wallet as Arthur talked and he was about to give him the smallest amount he could possibly get away with but then he made the mistake of looking up into Arthur's earnest face just standing there and offering to pay him back and without thinking he pulled out the rest of his money and handed it over to Arthur.

"There, that should do you."

"Thank you," Arthur said. "Truly. And if you write down your address I'll get it all back to you, or if you haven't any paper just tell me, I'll remember it. I've got an amazing memory."

Merlin rattled off his address to Arthur, all the while watching him smile and nod as he committed it to memory. He knew Arthur offered up even more thanks as he continued to smile and wave as he started to walk away, but the best he could do was stare and absently wave back in response.

Bloody _bloody_ hell.

 

~~**~~

 

Merlin was sure to keep a safe distance behind Arthur as he followed him through the streets. Not that it mattered in the slightest because Arthur seemed to be in a world of his own. Everything appeared to astound and delight him and Merlin found himself watching Arthur in the same awed way Arthur himself was viewing everything around him. Merlin started to wonder just how sheltered a life Arthur led as he watched him nearly laugh himself silly as he kicked a football around with a pack of children that had descended upon him. They were dressed in their school uniforms and were obviously on their way to classes, but like all children reluctant to be at school they lingered over an impromptu bit of back and forth with their football.

He watched as Arthur was finagled into buying a little posy from a flower vender who managed to do so by yelling in Italian at Arthur at a truly rapid speed. Arthur had looked at the older woman with wide eyes and had simply nodded and handed over euros one by one until she stopped. He stood there holding the posy and looking endearingly out of place until he shrugged and gifted the posy back to the lady. She laughed and pinched his cheek as she exclaimed over him in Italian just as loud and horrifying as her shouting sales pitch had been. Merlin had been tempted to come to Arthur's rescue but it was far more fun to simply stay back and watch it all unfold. Arthur managed to slip away with only one more pinch, two healthy and robust kisses, and several good pats to his arms and chest. He was flushed a bright pink from the encounter and Merlin found himself following much closer than he ought to simply so he could get a better look.

Here and there Arthur would get a second look but then Merlin would see the people shake their heads and decide, no, it couldn't possibly be Prince Arthur just wandering around the piazza. Merlin thought it altogether ridiculous that Arthur could possibly believe he wouldn't be recognized. People tended to remember a face like Arthur's, and the fact that it was plastered everywhere you looked in the city made it even more recognizable. But the longer Merlin followed Arthur the more he found that people weren't actually bothering him, or giving him more than a confused second glance. He thought maybe the fact that Arthur didn't have a single bodyguard or adviser hovering around him made the difference. People just figured it couldn't possibly be him if he didn't have his retinue in tow.

Merlin decided he'd had enough with following Arthur once he stopped at a small gelato shop and Merlin caught him staring at the array of flavors in front of him like a child given far too many choices.

"I'd suggest chocolate, you can't go wrong with chocolate." Merlin said as he parked himself next to Arthur at the counter. "Although, like I said, I'm rather partial to strawberry myself."

Arthur turned his gaze to Merlin and when he noticed who it was his face lit up in a brilliant smile. "Merlin!"

Merlin returned his smile. "Hey. Getting that gelato, I see."

Arthur nodded then turned a bit of a confused look Merlin's way once he realized what Merlin had said. "Like you said?" he asked. "Have you told me that before?"

"Well, I tried to explain my partiality to strawberry last night but you were less than sober so I doubt you'd remember."

"I wasn't intoxicated, Merlin, we've been over this."

Merlin laughed at the affronted look on Arthur's face. "There's nothing wrong with getting a bit pissed every now and again."

Arthur frowned at him. "I wasn't pissed," he repeated, though he lowered his voice on the word _'pissed'_ like he could barely force it past his lips. Merlin thought Arthur really ought to curse more, shout it out, really, he was far too formal for his own good. "Are you going to get some as well?"

"Can't." Merlin shrugged. "Haven't got any money."

Arthur blushed again when he realized he'd gotten caught. "I know I was supposed to get a taxi," he hurried to say, "but it's such a lovely day and I thought, why not walk?"

"Indeed," Merlin nodded, attempting to look thoughtful.

Arthur started digging into his pocket. "Look, I'm terribly sorry I took all of your money and didn't even use it for the purpose for which it was intended. You should take it back." He thrust the money toward Merlin who only laughed.

"No, it's fine. Honestly. If given the choice between gelato and a taxi, gelato wins every time."

"You're not angry with me?"

"Of course not."

"Well in that case, let's order. I'm buying." Arthur gave Merlin a half grin and walked up to the counter and ordered chocolate and strawberry in absolutely perfect Italian.

They took their cones outside and started walking down the street. Merlin was tempted to ask Arthur why he'd bought the posy from the flower lady if he could understand and speak Italian, clearly he hadn't handed over the money out of confusion. But that would let on to Arthur that Merlin had been following him around like a creeper for the better part of an hour. Instead he said, "So, what have you been up to since we last spoke?"

Arthur laughed. "I love how you're asking that as if this day, and last night, were perfectly normal."

"Like I said, it's completely normal, I go about picking up sleeping men on benches all the time. I don't understand why you can't just accept this, Andrew." Merlin watched Arthur flinch at the sound of his made up name.

"Yes, well, we've already decided you're odd."

"Have we? I thought we'd agreed on charming."

"Hardly." Arthur laughed.

"Suit yourself." Merlin shrugged and bumped his shoulder against Arthur's. At the touch Merlin felt Arthur's stare turn to him but he didn't return it with one of his own. After a moment or two Arthur bumped Merlin's shoulder back and Merlin looked over just in time to see a small, happy smile spread over Arthur's mouth. "So, since you're set on wandering about aimlessly do you mind if I join you?"

Arthur looked over at Merlin in surprise, there was a little bit of chocolate on his upper lip and Merlin was having a hard time not leaning in and licking it off. "You want to join me?"

"I believe that's what I asked, yes. If you don't mind."

Arthur smiled. "No, of course not. I'd love the company."

"I'll take you to a few of my favorite places."

"I'd like that."

"Look, I'm going to call my friend and see if I couldn't borrow his moped. We'd be able to see a lot more that way."

Arthur nodded at that and went back to eating his gelato, that spot of chocolate still on his upper lip. Merlin kept his eyes glued to it as he pulled out his phone and absently clicked on his contacts, he had to look away to make sure he dialed Gwaine and not his mother which would've been terribly awkward and would've also managed to make him feel guilty about what he was doing. He had enough of that on his own already.

Arthur watched him as he talked to Gwaine and argued that if Gwaine loved him at all he'd loan him his moped. Arthur had laughed when he'd heard Merlin's disgruntled response to Gwaine declaring he was just fine with not loving him at all and he wasn't getting his accident prone hands anywhere near the handlebars of his moped.

"You're the world's worst friend," Merlin said into his mobile. "The _worst_."

Gwaine seemed unimpressed. "Yeah. Okay."

"Look," Merlin said as he wandered out of Arthur's hearing. "This is actually important. I've got the chance to get a fantastic story, really, you have no idea, and I'd love it if I could borrow your moped. Come on, Gwaine, be a friend."

"A story, huh?" Gwaine asked. "That good?"

Merlin looked over at Arthur to find him petting a great, slobbering dog and talking to the woman attempting to walk it despite the fact that it had clearly fallen in love with Arthur at first sight. "That good, Gwaine."

"Fine." Gwaine huffed. "But if you hurt my baby there's no telling what I'll do."

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Just meet us at the Galleria Borghese as soon as you can."

"I'm on my way."

Merlin hung up his phone and walked back over to Arthur who was still entirely infatuated with the giant dog trying to lick his face, not that Merlin blamed the dog.

"This is Pippino," Arthur grinned up at Merlin from where he was kneeling on the ground.

"Buongiorno, Pippino." Merlin said as he patted the dog's head awkwardly. Pippino just barked and went back to breathing all over Arthur.

"Such a handsome boy, yes you are." Arthur had resorted to baby talk and Merlin decided it was time to go.

"Say arrivederci to Pippino, Andrew. We've got to go and meet my friend."

Arthur frowned and said a tearful goodbye - well actual tears weren't involved, but really, it was a _dog_ for the love of god - to the smelly mountain of fur and Merlin tried not to laugh at the forlorn look on Pippino's face as he dragged Arthur away by his arm because it matched Arthur's own as he reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged.

"Well that was very Romeo and Juliet of the two of you back there," Merlin teased Arthur once they were well away from that gigolo, Pippino.

"Pippino was lovely," Arthur said. "Didn't you think so, Merlin?"

"Oh yes, his smell especially."

"He smelled like a dog, you can hardly fault him for that."

"Well if you're going to go into raptures every time we cross paths with a dog we're not going to get very far."

"I know," Arthur said. "But I've never had a dog, or a pet of any kind."

Merlin decided to prod a bit. "Deprived childhood, I see."

Arthur shrugged. "Perhaps. Although from the outside it probably didn't look that way."

There was a sadness to Arthur's voice Merlin didn't particularly like. "It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?"

Arthur looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding his agreement. "But," he said in a lighter tone of voice. "That's the past and today I've got the entire day to myself with absolutely nothing to do but pet strangers' dogs and wait for your friend, who I might add, sounded very reluctant to let you borrow his moped."

"I can't help the fact that Gwaine has an unnatural and extremely unhealthy attachment to what is essentially a bike with a motor."

"I don't think I'm hearing the entire story, am I?" Arthur asked, his voice teasing.

"You're hearing all you need to hear. All you're going to hear," Merlin amended.

They'd been walking toward the Galleria Borghese and were just coming upon it when Arthur sat down in the grass facing the building.

"I think I'll have to ask this friend of yours, Gwaine, was it?"

"You'll do no such thing. Besides, there's nothing to tell."

Arthur just smiled and turned from Merlin to watch the people walking around the Galleria. Instead of watching the people Merlin watched Arthur; the strong curve of his jaw, his nose in profile, the slope of his neck and realized just how inferior all the pictures he'd seen of Arthur had been. All of them pale imitations of the real thing, the man sitting next to him who was utterly fascinated by people watching and playing football with wayward children. Arthur in real life, Merlin was beginning to find, was a singularly captivating thing.

Merlin leaned back on his hands and moved just close enough to Arthur that his fingers brushed the tips of Arthur's. He wanted to see what his reaction would be. The fact that he could see a quick, startled inhalation move through Arthur at the simple touch and that he could feel the slight reaching out of Arthur's fingers for his own made Merlin momentarily wish all of it was happening for another reason entirely. That Arthur would react so acutely to such a fleeting touch made Merlin ache a bit; what Arthur must deny himself if a brush of fingertips could make him respond as he had. Merlin turned his head away from Arthur but moved his hand so the tips of his fingers laid on top of Arthur's and pretended he didn't notice he was doing it at all.

When Merlin looked back over at Arthur he found him staring at their overlapping fingers as if the answers to the universe were lying right there between them; the sight utterly fascinating to him. He was just inching his fingers closer to Merlin's, slotting their fingers together, when Merlin heard an annoying beeping and a familiar shout. He cursed when Arthur jumped away from him and looked up to find Gwaine sitting on his moped in front of them.

"Gwaine," Merlin nodded in greeting.

"This better be good, Merlin." Gwaine said as he stood up and swung a leg over the side of the moped. "I was entertaining very delightful company."

"And by delightful company I'm assuming you mean the moped. I always knew there was something wrong with you."

Arthur burst out laughing next to him and the sound almost made their interruption from before worth it. At the sound of his laughter, though, Gwaine turned to look at him and his mouth dropped open. Merlin was quick to his feet as he reached out and grabbed Gwaine by the arm.

"Is that -" Gwaine began.

"I've got to talk to Gwaine. I'll be right back, _Andrew_." Merlin laid heavy emphasis on the name hoping Gwaine would get the hint and keep his gob shut.

"Andrew?" Gwaine frowned but followed Merlin all the same.

Once they were far enough away from Arthur not to be overheard Merlin stopped and let go of Gwaine's arm. "So. Yeah. That." he said as he nodded his head toward Arthur. "Good enough reason?"

Gwaine nodded, still looking in Arthur's direction, and it took a moment to regain his senses. Which he did in grand Gwaine fashion.

"What the fucking fuck, Merlin? Fuck."

"Yes, that about sums it up."

"Fuck. Merlin. _Fuuuck_."

"Your eloquence is enviable, but focus, okay?" Merlin snapped his fingers at Gwaine.

Gwaine made a face at being snapped at but he seemed to compose himself a bit in the process. "Mind telling me how that happened?"

"I would if I could. Let's just say it involved a bench, a sleeping draught and the crown prince of Albion sleeping in my bed last night; a truly magnificent sight, I might add."

"A poofter's delight, I'd imagine," Gwaine nodded, quite serious, and Merlin couldn't help but smile at the moron. Gwaine noticed the grin and added, "All your girlhood dreams come true right there."

"Shut it, you twat," Merlin said as he shoved at Gwaine's arm. "Now hand over the keys."

"Hold on now, you don't get to drop this on me without a proper explanation - minus the sleeping draughts and benches."

"I know I owe you a massive explanation but I haven't got the time to do it right now. I promise to tell you everything later."

Gwaine looked Merlin in the eyes, searching. "I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to do, and I understand why you're doing it, seeing who you work for, but I also know this isn't you."

Merlin felt a wave of anger wash over him. "Of course it's me. I'm doing it, aren't I?"

"Merlin," Gwaine sighed.

"Do you have any idea how much money this will net me? Everyone wants a piece of him and I've got him, right here, all to myself."

"Yes, everyone wants a piece of him, don't they?" Gwaine asked pointedly.

"Oh, don't suddenly grow a moral compass." Merlin said angrily, he knew he was only reacting this poorly to Gwaine because he was pointing out what Merlin was trying to ignore.

Gwaine handed over the keys. "I understand, Merlin, I do, I just hope you're okay with whatever it is you decide to do."

Merlin looked down and nodded. "Yeah, I know. Me too."

Gwaine gave Merlin's shoulder a good squeeze and walked over to Arthur. Merlin watched as Arthur's look changed from wary to relaxed with just a few words from Gwaine. He was pretty sure Gwaine was flirting with Arthur and he couldn't help but smile. Arthur was gesturing about something and Gwaine was smiling as he watched him. He was probably going on about that stupid dog, but he was animated and looked heartbreakingly beautiful standing there.

Merlin sighed.

 _Fuck._

 

~~**~~

 

"I like Gwaine," Arthur announced as he stood beside Merlin, who was already sitting on the moped, and watched him walk away.

"I like him too. He's a certifiable idiot but charming nonetheless."

"There appears to be a lot of you walking around."

Merlin caught the meaning of Arthur's statement and gave him a slight shove on the arm. He rolled his eyes but grinned all the same when Arthur gave him a shove back.

"Oh, do shut up," Merlin said. He patted the seat behind him. "Hop on."

"Hop on?" Arthur asked skeptically. "No, I don't think so."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

"Gwaine said you crashed into a bush the last time you were on it."

"No one was hurt."

" - and the time before that it was a group of nuns."

"I didn't run into any nuns." Merlin waved his hands around. "I merely made them scatter a bit."

Arthur laughed at that, wholeheartedly, his head thrown back and his laugh ringing out loud and clear. Merlin felt the center of his chest heat up and he reached out and grabbed onto Arthur's hand.

"Come with me," he said, his voice serious and insistent.

Arthur's laugh staggered to a stop when Merlin touched him. Merlin could feel Arthur's fingers twitch in his own, like they were trying to stretch and figure out how to fit with Merlin's.

"Please. Come with me." Merlin repeated, voice low. He refrained from saying 'Andrew' because it was _Arthur_ that he wanted to take with him.

Arthur's eyes searched Merlin's as he nodded and let out a small gasp of breath before getting on the back of the moped.

At first Arthur kept himself as far away from Merlin as the small seat would allow. Merlin still had a hold of his hand but Arthur seemed not to know where to put the other one. Merlin moved Arthur's hand so that it rested on his hip. He looked back over his shoulder at Arthur. "Okay?" he asked quietly.

Arthur nodded again and Merlin soon felt a light, tentative touch on his other hip. Merlin waited for a bit before starting up the moped and gradually the hands at his hips tightened their hold.

"You might want to hold on more tightly." Merlin suggested. "I'm a horrible driver, remember?"

Arthur didn't say anything but he could feel Arthur's hesitation. Merlin pretended to fiddle with the handlebars as he gave Arthur time to decide what he was going to do. He'd just about given up when he felt the warm press of Arthur's chest against his back as Arthur scooted closer to him. His thighs pressed against the outsides of Merlin's and his hands wrapped themselves around Merlin's waist.

"Is this better?" Arthur finally spoke, his mouth next to Merlin's ear.

Merlin turned his head to the side and he could feel Arthur's warm breaths against his cheek. "Much," he answered. "Safety first."

Merlin took off then, much more quickly than he knew he ought to, but he had to have that sudden rush of speed to distract him from having Arthur wrapped around him. Once Merlin felt like he could breathe again he let off on the throttle a bit and slowed down to a more reasonable speed. Arthur had shouted when they first took off and Merlin could still hear him laughing in his ear. He let go of the handlebars with his left hand and settled it on Arthur's thigh. Merlin's touch once again silenced Arthur's laughter but it was worth it because Arthur held Merlin more tightly after that and even pressed his nose against Merlin's shoulder.

Merlin kept his hand on Arthur's thigh as he drove them through the city, he only let go if he needed to point something out to Arthur although most of the time it was Arthur pointing things out to him. It made Merlin smile because Arthur would shout things in his ear like he was a student reciting his homework, he knew all kinds of facts about the places they saw and Merlin was sure he'd had to study the city in order to be the perfect diplomatic prince on his visit. Merlin's tour was nothing like Arthur's; he'd just shown Arthur the places where Gwen had kicked a guy in the bollocks for grabbing her arse, or where Gwaine claimed to have seen a ghost and denied it having anything whatsoever to do with his being massively pissed at the time. Through it all Arthur stayed pressed close against Merlin's back.

They stopped once when Merlin got a call from his editor. He'd parked the moped and walked away from Arthur only to get an earful and a mountain of questions hurled at him. It was a sobering reality check as he watched Arthur fall in love with yet another dog, this time a tiny little thing that Merlin was fairly sure was part rat. The thing was bouncing and yipping around Arthur's feet as he egged it on. Merlin assured his editor he was getting the story, although all he truly wanted to do was tell him to shove it up his arse. The more time he spent with Arthur the harder it was to justify what he was doing.

He was just about to hang up on his editor when he heard Gwaine's moped start up. He looked over his shoulder to find Arthur beginning to pull away from where Merlin had parked it. He shouted a goodbye into the phone as he took off running after a laughing Arthur.

"Hey! I'm driving!" Merlin yelled as he ran to catch up to Arthur.

Arthur wasn't driving terribly fast and Merlin knew he was letting himself be caught, but it didn't lessen his triumphant laughing when he finally managed to catch up to Arthur and throw himself onto the back of the moped. He clung to Arthur like a spider monkey as he laughed over the fact that he'd actually made it without killing himself in the process.

"You'd be a horrible stuntman, Merlin." Arthur shouted over his shoulder at him. "That was truly dreadful."

"Well I don't normally go around flinging myself onto moving mopeds, now do I?"

"I wouldn't put it past you."

Merlin just grinned and held onto Arthur even more tightly. He let his nose brush along the hair at Arthur's ear and he could feel a shiver run through Arthur's body where it pressed against his own. Merlin thought he could catch faint whiffs of his own soap on Arthur's skin and he imagined him cleaning up that morning; washing his face and brushing his hair in Merlin's tiny little bathroom and suddenly Merlin thought about how perfect it would be if it happened exactly like that everyday. In each other's ways in their cramped little flat and smelling of the same soap.

Merlin didn't know why he was feeling like he was; this strange crush of emotions piling up on him so suddenly. He wasn't one to fall in love easily, not that this was anything close to love; they'd only know each other a day, less than that, and it would be ridiculous to think otherwise. But Merlin was drawn to Arthur in a way he'd never been to anyone else before. He didn't know if it was because Arthur was so far out of his reach or the fact that he was planning to out him to the world that made Merlin's traitorous head think this was a good idea or not. He'd always been stubborn, had always done exactly what he shouldn't or what he'd been told not to, and this? Well this was the biggest _'don't'_ he'd ever come across. Was that what was making Arthur so appealing? Could something so simple explain this mad rush he was feeling coursing through him as he and Arthur rode through the streets of the city?

He just didn't know, and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to either.

 

~~**~~

 

They finally had to stop for a late lunch, Merlin's stomach had been growling for ages but he hadn't wanted to stop having an excuse for being so close to Arthur.

Since they didn't have much of Merlin's money left they just grabbed a couple of sandwiches from a small shop and a liter of water to share and headed off to spread out in the grass at the nearby park. Arthur looked beautifully relaxed; the sun was bringing out the color in his cheeks and wreaking havoc with his hair. Before he could stop himself Merlin reached out and brushed his finger through the shining strands.

Arthur looked at him in surprise and Merlin said, "Sorry," as he pulled his hand away.

"No," Arthur said quickly. "Don't be sorry. It's okay. _I'm_ sorry for being so jittery about everything."

"It's fine."

Arthur shook his head and looked away from Merlin and out across the park. "People don't touch me a lot, like that," he added.

"Like how?"

"I don't know. Just because, maybe?"

"I can't imagine why not," Merlin said. "I'm pretty sure if I spent any length of time with you at all I couldn't stop myself from touching you _just because_."

"You don't know," Arthur began but stopped himself. "My life, it's just different than that."

"Tell me." And Merlin wanted to know everything, and not for the story, but because Arthur fascinated him all on his own. His quiet sadness that was just underneath all of that politeness that set him apart from everyone else, and that thrum of energy Merlin could feel coming off of Arthur in waves. That desire to just run away from it all, like he'd done the night before, to break free and just _be_. Merlin was certain that more than anything Arthur simply wanted to be free from the royal obligations that bound him, to be left blessedly alone.

And there Merlin was, planning on blowing up Arthur's world with one single article.

"Are you an only child, Merlin?" Arthur asked suddenly.

Merlin put on a false smile. "I am."

"As am I."

Merlin waited for more but Arthur went back to eating his sandwich and they were quiet for a while.

"Did it ever feel lonely sometimes, being the only one?" Merlin asked after a few minutes.

"I'm never alone," Arthur answered. "I never have a single moment to myself."

"So, no wish for some bratty sibling to butt in and add to the din?"

A sad smile came over Arthur's face. "I said I was never alone, but I didn't say I was never lonely."

"True," Merlin said quietly.

"I always thought it would be nice to have a brother or a sister, someone who knew what it was like to be - " Arthur stopped.

"Never alone and lonely at the same time?" Merlin finished for him.

"Yes, exactly that."

"Well I got spoiled rotten," Merlin said, hoping to lighten the mood. "And look at me today. The proof is in the pudding, as they say."

Arthur laughed quietly. "What does that even mean, Merlin?"

"Honestly?" Merlin asked and Arthur nodded. "I haven't a clue. As you get to know me you'll find that I say all manner of things I don't understand in the least."

"And I suppose you'll say that's interesting."

"Of course it's interesting, who wouldn't want the pleasure of talking to someone who speaks a load of bollocks half the time? There could be some pearls of wisdom scattered in amongst all of that jabber. It'd be like a treasure hunt."

"That's one way of looking at it." Arthur sounded highly skeptical.

"And no doubt the best way." Merlin smiled at Arthur and shoved the rest of his sandwich in his mouth. When he was finished chewing he stood up and held his hand out to Arthur. "There's something I want to show you."

"Is it better than the fountain you showed me, the one you urinated in on Lance's twenty-seventh birthday?"

"I think I should give professional tours of Rome, don't you?" Merlin grinned at Arthur.

"You could call it Merlin's Tour of Rome...Through the Bottom of a Pint Glass."

Merlin pretended to look thoughtful. "I think people would line up for that one."

"Oh yes," Arthur nodded. "I'm sure a great many people would travel to Rome just to visit the list of fountains either you or Gwaine have pissed in over the years."

Merlin feigned shock. "You said 'pissed', and without even whispering it. I'm so proud."

"Oh, good grief, Merlin." Arthur huffed. "Pissed. There, I've said it again. Let's have a parade."

Merlin used Arthur's distraction to lace his fingers with Arthur's as they walked back to the moped. Arthur's steps didn't even falter and Merlin gave his fingers a squeeze, Arthur squeezed back before letting go of him and running ahead of Merlin.

"I'm driving," he shouted over his shoulder.

"No! You're a horrible driver." Merlin shouted back as he ran after him.

"And yet I haven't run over a single form of vegetation or a nun." Arthur said once he'd sat down on the moped with a triumphant smile.

"Scattered. The nuns _scattered_. Get your facts straight." Merlin insisted, but he was smiling as he happily settled himself behind Arthur.

"Scattered, or ran screaming for their lives? Let's be clear here." Arthur teased.

"Just shut up and drive."

Arthur grinned and started up the moped, and Merlin made sure he was holding on tightly.

For safety's sake.

 

~~**~~

 

"What on earth is that?" Arthur asked once Merlin brought him around the corner and into a tiny alcove off the street.

"[The Mouth of Truth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verit%C3%A0)."

"It's horrible," Arthur laughed.

"I admit, it's not much to look at, but it serves its purpose admirably."

"What's its purpose?"

"It weeds out the liars. They say that if you tell a lie and you stick your hand inside its mouth it'll bite the hand right off."

Arthur laughed. "You'd best not get your hands anywhere near it then, Merlin."

"Probably not," Merlin agreed. "But I don't think there's anyone that'd be safe near it."

Arthur's smile disappeared from his face but he didn't look away from Merlin. "You don't believe that."

"I do. Everyone lies, Andrew."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Arthur's voice sounded resigned and Merlin wondered why he'd thought it would be a good idea to drag Arthur here.

"But then again I could be feeding you a load of bollocks about that whole hand biting business."

The small smile that finally broke over Arthur's face was slow in coming, but it was there nevertheless. "I suppose you probably are." Arthur agreed.

"Only one way to find out," Merlin said as he dragged Arthur closer to the face on the wall. "Go on, stick your hand in."

Arthur shook his head. "Absolutely not. I like my hands exactly where they are."

"Chicken."

"I'm not a chicken."

"Prove it."

Arthur sighed, "Fine," and started to move his hand towards the mouth. Merlin watched the emotions play over his face; first feigned boredom, then caution as his hand got closer and then straight out laughing refusal as he snatched his hand back right before he was able to touch the stone mouth. "No. Uh-uh," Arthur shook his head, still laughing. "You do it."

"No problem," Merlin said as he easily slid his hand inside the mouth. "See, nothing to - oh my god!" he started shouting and pretending like the mouth was biting down on his hand. He would have laughed at Arthur's wide eyes if he wasn't determined to play out his drama to the end.

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted as wrapped his hands around Merlin's wrist and tried to pull his hand out of the mouth. Merlin struggled a bit with him but quickly gave up and let Arthur yank his hand out, making sure to keep his hand tucked up into his sleeve as he did so. "Oh, fuck!" Arthur panicked when Merlin's arm came out sans a hand. "What -? Oh my god."

Merlin took pity on Arthur after a couple of seconds of panic and popped his hand out of the end of his sleeve. "Oh, there it is."

Arthur's mouth dropped open, then snapped shut just as quickly as he gave Merlin's arm a good, solid punch. "You utter and complete _arse_." Arthur said, his voice going from anger to laughter all within the span of that single sentence. "Pillock," he laughed as he punched Merlin a second time.

"Ow," Merlin grunted after the second, harder punch. "It's not my fault you're embarrassingly gullible."

Arthur laughed and shoved at him again for good measure.

"Although you did curse. Twice." Merlin smiled. "The sound of the word 'fuck' coming out of your mouth made my heart sing."

"Doesn't take much to entertain you, does it?"

"Apparently not."

A teasing glint came into Arthur's eyes as he whispered, "Fuck."

"Oh god," Merlin grinned. "The song, it's starting."

"Fuck," Arthur said a bit louder.

"It's singing in the shower."

"Fuck." Even louder.

"It's a top forty tune."

"Fuck!" Arthur shouted.

"It's a choir of fucking angels. Preach it, man."

"Fuuuck!" Arthur drew out his shout and then started to laugh wildly, his face flushed bright red and his eyes shining.

Merlin couldn't stop himself, he reached out with both hands and held onto Arthur's face as he pulled him in for a kiss. It was brief, barely a kiss at all, but Merlin heard Arthur's surprised inhalation, felt it as Arthur's body staggered against his own, and sighed, "God, you're perfect," against Arthur's lips before brushing across them a second time.

Arthur backed away from him and Merlin was worried he'd gone too far but then Arthur stepped up to the Mouth of Truth and shoved his hand inside it.

"This is the best day of my entire life," he said breathlessly; his face flushed and his hair wild at the sides where Merlin's fingers had slid through the strands. He could hardly stand still as he made his declaration.

"Let me see your hand," Merlin whispered.

Arthur pulled it out; whole and intact, palm facing Merlin as he held it up between them. "Still there," he said. "It must be the truth."

Merlin's steps were sure and quick as he moved toward Arthur and wrapped his hand around the back of his neck to pull him in for another kiss. One that was more than a simple brush of lips. Arthur's mouth opened up beneath Merlin's and his hands fisted themselves into the fabric of Merlin's shirt as Arthur held onto him and kissed him like he couldn't imagine ever wanting to do anything else. Merlin's fingers tangled up in the hair at the back of Arthur's head as he held his lips against his own.

"Come back to my place?" Merlin whispered against Arthur's mouth the moment they broke apart from their kiss. "I know you shouldn't, but I want," Merlin stopped, there was really nothing more to that sentence, he simply wanted. "I want you."

"You do?" Arthur's voice was so small, so surprised that Merlin wanted him that it broke Merlin apart.

"God yes," he said as he kissed him again. "You can't imagine how much."

Arthur ran his thumb over Merlin's lower lip, his eyes focused on Merlin's mouth as he nodded. He looked up into Merlin's eyes and said it out loud. "Yes."

Merlin ran his hand from Arthur's temple down the side of his face to his jaw, his fingers lingered there for a moment before he pulled them away and took Arthur's hand as they walked in silence back to the moped. Arthur let Merlin drive as he pressed himself against Merlin's back, his right hand held against the center of Merlin's chest.

 

~~**~~

 

Merlin suspected they were both scared speechless because they'd made it all the way back to Merlin's building and up into his flat without saying a word to one another. They were simply standing there, in the middle of the flat, staring at one another. Arthur ended up being the one to break the silence.

"Arthur," he said suddenly.

Merlin jumped a bit at the sound then flashed a confused look in Arthur's direction. "Arthur?"

"Yes, Arthur. If we're going to do this I want to hear _my_ name coming from your lips."

Merlin swallowed and nodded.

"Although you knew my real name all along, didn't you?"

There was no point in lying now. "I did."

Arthur sat down on the edge of Merlin's bed. "It was foolish of me to think you wouldn't know me."

Merlin stayed where he was standing. "One doesn't normally forget a face like yours, no."

Arthur looked up at Merlin. "I just wanted to not be Prince Arthur for a day. I wanted to not be me."

"So all of this today, that wasn't you? Because I happen to really fucking like who I spent the day with."

Arthur eyed him, sized him up like he was looking to see whether or not Merlin was lying. He seemed to be happy with his conclusion. "You really do, don't you?"

"More than I should." Merlin answered truthfully.

"It was me," Arthur said. "A different name, but it was still me. I can't seem to escape me, no matter how hard I try."

"Please don't try to escape yourself, I'd have to run after you and I really hate running. I just look embarrassing doing it."

"I hope you manage to avoid running over nuns when you do it." Arthur teased.

"They scattered, Arthur," Merlin said as he tackled Arthur onto his back across the bed and straddled his hips. " _Scattered_."

"I still don't believe you no matter how many times you repeat it," Arthur smiled as he raised up to kiss Merlin.

Arthur's words, however, made Merlin pull back. He moved off of Arthur and laid on his side next to him. "Same name, but it wasn't me," he said quietly.

"What?" Arthur looked at him in confusion. "I don't understand."

"I've lied to you. I've been lying to you all day."

Arthur sat up next to Merlin and looked down at him. "Lying?"

Merlin sat up as well. "I'm a reporter. For a really trashy tabloid and I was going to use you to get a story. I was planning on outing you and proving all those rumors about you were true. It was a truly horrendous invasion of your privacy and I was ashamed of the fact that it even crossed my mind, and I know it's not an excuse, but it was all about the money. That's it, that's all it was. And I don't know if that makes it better or worse, but I want to leave my job so badly and just be able to write that I let it cloud my judgment. I know sorry isn't enough, but I am. I'm more sorry than you know."

Merlin closed his eyes and waited for Arthur's reaction, waited for him to hit him or yell at him or run out. Something.

"I was wondering when you were going to tell me." Merlin opened his eyes and looked at Arthur. "You're really rather loud when you talk on your mobile, you know. For a supposed undercover reporter you're not very covert."

Merlin didn't know what to say, he didn't know if Arthur was angry or disappointed or had been stringing him along this entire time all the while planning on walking out and humiliating him in the process. "Why did you stay?"

"Because you have a kind face. And I was hoping I could trust you."

"That's an awfully big risk to take."

"Maybe I'm sick of it being a risk. I don't know why any of it should matter anyway. I perform my duties, say _'pleased to meet you,'_ and do every single thing that's asked of me. Why is it asking too much to want to love whomever I choose?"

"I don't know." Merlin had nothing else to offer Arthur because he truly didn't know. Why should someone like Arthur be forced to give up a chance at love and happiness? Whether Arthur knew it or not, he was filled with the capacity to love. Merlin could see it plain as day. He just wasn't sure Arthur could, however.

Merlin reached out for Arthur's hands, wrapped them up in his own and pulled them into his lap. They sat in silence for a while, Merlin's thumbs absently rubbing against Arthur's skin as Arthur kept his eyes focused on their joined hands and Merlin kept his focus on Arthur. He wanted to beg Arthur not to go, to stay and believe in him and the fact that where they were right then had absolutely nothing to do with a story and everything to do with how amazing Arthur was.

"I was right," Arthur said. "To trust you. I'm certain of it."

Merlin let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He leaned down and kissed the back of Arthur's hand where it still rested in his lap. When he looked up and saw the way Arthur was looking at him he knew Arthur's trust wasn't misplaced, there was no way in he'd ever be able to carry on with his story. There was nothing in the world that could make him give up that look.

"I've never done this before. With a man." Arthur looked embarrassed to be admitting that. "I've been with women before, but it wasn't - right. Any of it. Everything was so formal and impersonal. Did you know they did background checks on each of the woman before I was allowed to be with them?" Arthur rushed on. "It's ridiculous. Nothing was ever my choice, every move was already made for me. My entire life planned out and me without a single word to say in the matter and I was about ready to scream. I didn't want much, and I told Gaius that, again and again, all I wanted was someone to hold my hand for no other reason than that they wanted to."

Merlin looked down at their hands and back up at Arthur. "Well, that's one thing down," he said as he lifted up their clasped hands and Arthur smiled.

"Merlin," Arthur said quietly. "You're the first choice I've ever made on my own."

"I hope I'm worth it."

"I think you are."

Merlin tugged on Arthur's hands. "Then we'll have this right here, this one strange, wonderful day and you'll be plain old Arthur Smith and I'll be the terribly _odd_ guy," Arthur smiled at the word 'odd', "that was lucky enough to somehow manage to get you back to his hideously small flat without kidnapping or drugging you."

"At least not the second time."

Merlin laughed out loud at that and leaned in to kiss Arthur, and it was _Arthur_ this time and they both knew it. Arthur pulled him back down to the mattress and Merlin slotted himself against Arthur's side as they kissed. Merlin tugged at the back of Arthur's shirt, he wanted to get his hands on Arthur's back; that broad, solid back he'd spent so much of the day pressed up against. Arthur's skin was hot to the touch and Merlin could feel the energy just thrumming beneath the surface. Arthur's kisses were getting deeper and more desperate and Merlin slid his thigh between Arthur's, anything to get them closer. Arthur gasped when Merlin moved his hips against Arthur's and Merlin knew all that energy he could feel coming out of Arthur was desire and want but even more than both of those was a nervous tension.

Merlin held his hand to Arthur's face and moved his thumb over Arthur's lips to gently stop him from kissing him so he could whisper, "It's okay, Arthur. It'll all be okay."

Arthur dropped his forehead against Merlin's and nodded. "I know it will, but tell that to my crazy, beating heart."

Merlin smiled and started to unbutton Arthur's shirt so he could press a kiss over Arthur's heart. "Settle down in there," he said against Arthur's skin. Arthur laughed and brought his hand up to hold the back of Merlin's head. Merlin looked up at Arthur and added, "But to be perfectly honest I don't want it to, the fact that it's beating like a fucking snare drum, for me, is really turning me on."

Arthur actually snorted when he laughed. "Is that the line you're going to use? Has that _ever_ worked?"

"It is and it has," Merlin said before he bumped his fist against Arthur's chest and quickly drew back his hand as he kept his fingers pointed toward Arthur. "And bam! You've just been pulled by Merlin Emerson. You're welcome."

Merlin could feel all of the tension instantly leave the room at that moment as Arthur laughed and wrapped his arms around Merlin as he rolled them both until Merlin was on his back with Arthur stretched out on top of him. Their kisses were no less intense but there was a beautiful lightness to them, like they were sinking into one another willingly and completely and Merlin's own heart was beating like hell in his chest at the thought that he could give Arthur that. A beautiful letting go.

Everything after that seemed easier than it should have been, than it had ever been with anyone Merlin had ever been with. Yes, Arthur wasn't entirely graceful or perfect right out of the gate, but the fact that he was awkward at times in his own skin but was still perfectly fine with it and never once pulled away in embarrassment, made Merlin want him all the more. Even his alarming habit of bursting out into ridiculous boughts of giggling whenever Merlin would kiss or lick a particularly ticklish spot on his body didn't lessen the want. Merlin would just laugh, his mouth still pressed against the newly found spot, and make Arthur giggle all the louder as he curled up into himself and tried, and failed, to push Merlin away.

That didn't mean that heat didn't suddenly pool up in the center of his chest and radiate outward to every piece of him when Arthur had finally undressed him and stopped to simply stare at him. Merlin had never had anyone look at him like that before and his skin prickled under such focused attention, but instead of it making Merlin want to curl up and pull a sheet over himself, it made him stretch out, put more of himself on display for Arthur. He wanted Arthur to look at him with an intensity he didn't know if he could handle. He wanted so much, every part of Arthur; his hands and mouth and his eyes centered only on him, so when Arthur pressed the condom back into Merlin's hand when he'd offered it to him with a look of determination tinged with fear, but most of all trust in Merlin, it was all Merlin could do to not shatter apart right then and there.

Merlin took his time, wanted nothing but pleasure for Arthur. The feel of Arthur's fingers digging into his skin when he first pushed inside him was something that Merlin was certain he'd pull up in his dreams; the sudden, surprising pain of it mixed with the pleasure of Arthur grasping at him so fiercely. Finding their groove and the right way to move with and against one another took a few tries but Arthur never let go of him and when that first gasp of real pleasure tumbled past Arthur's lips Merlin felt them settle into one another. Merlin felt how good they were together and he knew they could grasp and push and claw against one another, make each other scream with the fucking pleasure of it. But all Merlin could do was settle his elbows on either side of Arthur's head as his arms circled around it on the pillow and bury his face in the curve of Arthur's neck, his hips trapped within the heat of Arthur's thighs as they stayed wrapped around him, Arthur's feet hooked around the backs of Merlin's thighs. There were no gasping cries or the sharp, hard thrust of fucking hips, there wasn't anything but their quiet, heavy breaths and the bone-deep warmth of their holds on one another and it was the truest moment of Merlin's life. Nothing compared to it, and he wasn't sure how he was ever going to be able to let Arthur go after it was all over.

 

~~**~~

 

Merlin wasn't sure how long he'd drifted off for, but he awoke with his head resting on the inside of Arthur's bicep and his hand against Arthur's neck.

Arthur was still asleep and Merlin simply watched him. The curtains weren't drawn over Merlin's sole window and there was enough moonlight coming through to make Arthur visible. He looked young in his sleep, trusting and a bit vulnerable, and Merlin wished he had the power to stop time. Everything about his life was always go, go, go. He was forever rushing to get to the next thing, to get to the next place he wanted to be in his life, but with Arthur it was suddenly okay to rest, to stop. It was a heady feeling to have one day, one person, change you so indescribably. Merlin felt changed in an elemental, frightening way and the most terrifying part wasn't the change itself, but the fact that he'd now have to let Arthur go.

Merlin leaned in and kissed the hollow at the base of Arthur's neck. Arthur moved into the touch but didn't wake.

"Arthur?" Merlin said quietly as he traced the line of Arthur's eyebrow with his thumb.

"Hm?"

Merlin squinted at the glowing alarm clock at the side of the bed. "It's after three in the morning."

Arthur twisted a bit in Merlin's arms and opened his eyes. "Is it?" he asked like he didn't want to believe the truth of the hour.

Merlin tucked his face into Arthur's neck and nodded. "Do you know how to rewind time?" he mumbled and he felt Arthur's hand, large and warm, settle on his head.

"I wish I could," Arthur whispered.

"Yeah. Me too."

They were both quiet for a moment before Arthur said, "Tell me I can't leave, even if we both know that's not true."

Merlin looked up at Arthur. "You can't leave."

"Okay," Arthur said against Merlin's lips before he kissed him.

Merlin didn't think he'd ever been kissed with so much longing before.

"I know I should go," Arthur said once he drew back from their kiss. "I've been awful to worry Gaius and I'm sure Leon and Percy and the others haven't slept since they started looking for me. It isn't fair that I do this to them."

Merlin felt an angry heat rise in him. "It isn't fair to you either," he insisted. "Why can't you have this?"

Arthur smiled sadly and gently shushed Merlin as he kissed his cheek. "I honestly don't know the answer to that. I've asked it again and again and never got a proper response."

Merlin pushed up against Arthur, their noses brushed and he said, "I think you should stay. The hell with them. We'll dye your hair black and pierce your nose." Merlin smiled when that made Arthur laugh quietly.

"I don't do well with needles, Merlin."

"Well that's just disappointing. I thought you'd be rather manly about all of that pain business."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm terribly soft and delicate."

Merlin laughed and slid his hand along the hard, muscled plane of Arthur's back as he hugged him to himself. "I feel every evidence to the contrary, I simply don't buy that excuse."

"You're a hard one to please, Merlin." Arthur smiled.

Merlin's face turned serious then as he said, "To everyone but you, Arthur. You're beyond anything I could have hoped for."

Arthur kissed him, another one of those longing-filled kisses that wrapped around Merlin's heart.

"One more time," Arthur asked. "Before I have to let you go?"

Merlin didn't say anything, only kissed Arthur until there was no doubt in his mind that Merlin had agreed.

He wanted to give every part of himself over to Arthur and that second time was more of the loud, crashing wildness that the first time between them hadn't been. As Merlin rode Arthur he reveled in the sharp, flashing pain that snapped through him when Arthur's fingers dug into his thighs and he held onto Merlin as he straddled him, toward the end when they were both so far gone that Merlin couldn't bear to look at Arthur anymore, had to shut his eyes and arch his head back away from him.

When they laid sprawled across the bed, sweaty and breathless and strung out to the bone, Arthur's voice whispered through the fading dark that he couldn't imagine anything better than that, Merlin hadn't the heart to tell him that it still wasn't enough.

 

~~**~~

 

They were sober, quiet as they dressed and when Merlin moved in to button up Arthur's shirt for him Arthur had grabbed onto his hands and held him still as he stood and looked at him for a few painful moments that ended far too soon for Merlin's liking.

The way Arthur held onto him on the back of the moped as they drove through the quiet early morning streets held an entirely new feeling than it had before. Merlin took every long, roundabout way to the hotel he could think of and Arthur knew it. After the third time Merlin drove them down the same street Arthur had reached out and slid his hand down Merlin's arm to his hand where it wrapped itself around his and squeezed gently.

When they pulled up to the hotel and Arthur had let go of Merlin, Merlin reached out and grabbed him by the pocket of his jeans to keep him from moving any further away.

"There's still time for that nose piercing, you know," Merlin said in an attempt at lightness that came out strangled and broken instead.

Arthur moved as close to Merlin's side as the moped would allow and took his face in both of his hands. "I wish that were true," he said as he leaned down to kiss Merlin goodbye.

Merlin's fingers scrambled to latch onto Arthur's wrists and keep him held close. "Will you be all right?" he asked.

Arthur nodded and kissed Merlin's forehead. "Yes, I think I will, now that I know you're out there."

"Like some odd little beacon." Merlin forced out a small laugh.

"Exactly like." Arthur smiled and kissed him again.

Merlin kept a hold on Arthur's right hand as he began to back away from him. He held on until even stretching out far past the point where he should have tumbled off the side of the moped wasn't enough to keep Arthur within his reach. Merlin actually felt himself lose his breath when their fingers finally let go.

Sounding so sure and solid up until that point words suddenly tumbled, panicked, out of Arthur's mouth. "I'll see you later, yes?"

The question so hopeful it hurt and although they both knew it was a lie Merlin couldn't stop himself from answering, "Absolutely."

 

  
_~~Three Months Later~~_   


 

Merlin was just getting into the flow of his writing when there was a knock on his door. He was fairly certain it was Gwaine. Ever since Merlin had quit his job at the tabloid and started writing exactly as he'd always hoped he would (and after a mysterious deposit had suddenly appeared in his bank account, courtesy, no doubt, of Arthur and his truly troubling minions that had somehow gotten the account information in the first place) Gwaine had taken to showing up at Merlin's flat at the most inopportune times.

His timing was truly awful but Merlin could never bring himself to be mad at Gwaine because he was always there in a effort to, _'cheer Merlin the fuck up'_ and _'to get you to stop writing that suicidal books of yours, no one wants to read that depressing rubbish'_ \- not that Gwaine even knew what Merlin was writing about in the first place, he only assumed it was suicidal and depressing because Merlin was anything but chipper and cheerful since Arthur had left.

Gwaine always did take it upon himself to be overly dramatic if given half the chance.

"Go away, Gwaine!" Merlin shouted. "I don't care if you have that, _'watered down piss you Brits call beer'_ and some horrendous internet porn to show me. I'm not interested."

"Really?" A familiar and painfully missed voice came from the other side of the door. "Because I thought you'd be interested in the porn at the very least."

Merlin froze for a second, he didn't know whether to laugh or break down into gut-wrenching sobs. He must have been silent an awkwardly long time before there was another knock on the door.

"Merlin?" Arthur's voice quietly asked.

The sound of his name set Merlin back into motion and he flew to the door and swung it open to find Arthur on the other side of it, not a figment of his imagination as he had at first feared.

"Hey," Arthur said, his voice calm, but his face gave him away; his wide, happy eyes drinking in the sight of Merlin and his bright, stupid smile.

"Oh god," Merlin managed to get out as he flung himself into Arthur's arms. "Are you really here, or have I somehow taken one of Gaius' sleeping draughts?"

Arthur's laughter was warm and beautiful in Merlin's ear.

"No, I'm here," he assured Merlin. "My odd little beacon was calling me back."

"Charming, Arthur. Your _charming_ little beacon."

"No, I'm fairly certain we agreed on odd."

"Have it your way," Merlin grinned as he pulled Arthur's lips to him for a kiss.

Only the loud beep of Merlin's laptop warning him of its imminent powering down drew him and Arthur apart.

"Oh shit," Merlin said as he scrambled away from Arthur who laughed at him as he muttered to himself, "Save, save, save," and managed to get his morning's work saved before the computer shut down.

"You know," Arthur said once he was done laughing at Merlin. "I'm rather appalled that the call of your computer could pull you away from me."

"What? This is pure genius in word form here," Merlin said as he waved his hands over the laptop. He was expecting Arthur to laugh again, or at least tease him about what exactly his definition of genius was, but instead Arthur's face turned serious.

"I've been thinking," he said as he touched the edge of the table Merlin's computer was sitting on. "That it's entirely possible that you could write anywhere, as long as you had your computer and some quiet, or am I mistaken?"

Merlin shook his head. "No, you're not mistaken."

"Good." Arthur nodded. "But you see, the thing is, I'm in sort of a predicament. If you have your laptop you're fine, but I've found it's a bit more difficult for me. Whereas you can, potentially, write anywhere it's come to my attention that I can't actually be anywhere without you and you're decidedly more difficult to carry around than a laptop."

Merlin opened his mouth but closed it again since he wasn't quite sure he was hearing Arthur correctly.

"But what about you being you and, well, everything?" Merlin asked as he waved his hands in Arthur's general direction.

"That bit might take a little more explaining but suffice it to say when I got back that morning after leaving you no one was very pleased with me. There were some words said that probably shouldn't have been, but after I'd calmed down and was able to tell Gaius about that night and what it had meant to me." Arthur stopped and walked closer to Merlin, reached out for his hand which Merlin willingly gave him. "I know what he could see in me in that moment, I'm pretty sure you were pouring out of me and I think it was then he finally gave up, finally admitted that all those things and all those restrictions forced upon me wasn't any kind of life at all. He looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time, Merlin. He told me I looked happy and he sounded so surprised it hurt me because I realized how unhappy I'd been, and for so long."

Merlin brought his other hand up to Arthur's face. "I'm so sorry," he said as his fingers trailed over Arthur's skin.

"Don't be," Arthur said. "It was a good thing. Gaius knew things had to change after that and he helped me with my father. It wasn't easy, my father is a stubborn, willful man, but he came to realize that I could still be Prince Arthur when I needed to be and that who I was when I was just plain Arthur didn't change any of that."

"So what you're saying is that I'd best get used to lugging my laptop around?" Merlin asked and he could feel a ridiculous grin start to spread across his face.

"Essentially, yes." Arthur answered, then added, "If I'm worth the effort."

Merlin had to laugh out loud at that, it was a crazy, relieved, fucking happy laugh. "As if you need to ask."

Arthur looked damned relieved himself and his smile was brilliant. "I was hoping you'd say that. All I've been thinking about the last three months is how much I'd love to always be by your side as you frightened nuns the world over."

Merlin laughed again and grabbed Arthur by the chin to give him a good shake. "Scatter, Arthur," he said as he leaned in and his lips hovered over Arthur's. "I _scatter_ nuns."

"If you insist." Arthur grinned as he closed the gap between their lips.

Well, maybe frightened _was_ a better word and Merlin would hardly call it _running over_ if it was actually only her foot.

But Arthur needn't know that.

 

 

~End


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